Gainesville Police arrested a local man and his girlfriend Wednesday night after police said he used an axe handle to choke a man and then beat him with a cellphone.
Officers arrested Ricky Bryant Griffis, 46, and his girlfriend, Sandra Coxie Poston, 51, on battery and resisting officer charges, according to an arrest report.
At about 7:20 p.m., Griffis started arguing with a man about drugs and alcohol, according to the report. The argument escalated until Griffis put an axe around the man’s neck and pulled back, choking him. He also used the axe’s blade to cut the man on the neck.
The victim freed himself from Griffis and tried to call police, according to the report. When Griffis noticed he was on the phone, he snatched it out of the man’s hand and pushed him on the ground. He then got on top of the man and started hitting him with the cellphone, according to the report.
When officers arrived, Poston began yelling and cursing at the officers. During the investigation, officers repeatedly told Poston to step back but she refused, according to the report. An officer pushed Poston away, and she slapped the officer’s hands away.
As officers handcuffed Poston, Griffis tried to break free, according to the report. During questioning, he told police he hit the man with the phone but denied choking him with the axe, according to the report.
Officers booked Griffis and Poston into the jail at about 8:30 p.m., where they remained as of press time in lieu of $15,000 and $10,000 bonds, respectively.
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 1/17/2014 under the headline "Arrest after axe choking"
